THE WEST HIGHLANDERS. 41 



SCOTLAND. 



Scotland contains several distinct and valuable breeds of cattle, 

 evidently belonging to our present division, " The Middle Horns." 



The West Highlanders, whether we regard those that are found 

 in the Hebrides, or the county of Argyle, seem to retain most of the 

 aboriginal character. They have remained unchanged, or improved 

 only by selection, for many generations ; indeed from the earliest 

 accounts that we possess of Scottish cattle. 



The North Highlanders are a smaller, coarser, and in every 

 way inferior race, and owe the greater part of what is valuable about 

 them to crosses from the Western breed. 



The North-Eastern Cattle were derived from, and bear a 

 stong resemblance to, the West Highlander, but are of considerably 

 larger size. 



The Ayrshire Breed are second to none as milkers. 



The Galloways, which scarcely a century ago were middle- 

 horned, and with difficulty distinguished from the West Highlanders, 

 are now a polled breed — increased in size, with more striking resem- 

 blance to their kindred, the Devons — with all their aptitude to fatten, 

 and with a great hardiness of constitution. 



THE WEST HIGHLAND CATTLE. 



The cattle of the islands on the Western coast have the honor of 

 being, or, at least, of retaining the character of the primitive breed, 

 and whence are procured the purest and best specimens to preserve 

 or to improve the Highland cattle in other districts. 



Skirting the coast, from the promontory of Cantire to the northern 

 extremity of Scotland, is a range of islands — the Hebrides, about 

 half of them inhabited by man. 



Little is known of the history of the Hebrideans, except that they 

 descended from the same stock with the Irish and the Highlanders ; 

 and, at no very remote peiiod, the inhabitant^ were singularly uncul- 

 tivated, ignorant, idle, and miserable. 



After the union between the Eno-lish and Scottish kino-doms, and 

 when civilization had commenced on the mainland, the Hebrideans 

 began to be reclaimed, and that was chiefly manifested in, and pro- 

 moted by, a change of occupation. Although they did not abandon 

 their seafaring life, they began to be agriculturists. Their cattle, 

 which had been totally neglected, and their value altogether unknown, 

 retained their primitive character. The Hebrideans for the first time 

 became aware of this, and they bred them in greater numbers, and a 

 few of the most intelligent farmers endeavored to improve them by 

 selections from the best specimens of their native stock ; the result 



